Qatar's Short Race and Main Event Grid Setting: Live Updates
Preamble
Our correspondent is arriving soon to guide you through this day's sprint race (2pm GMT) and grid-setting session (6pm).
Live Feed
Warm-Up Lap Time
The warm-up lap has begun.
Track Information
We have nineteen laps of the longest circuit in Formula One, the commentator reminds us.
Final Moments
The final countdown has begun.
Racer Positions
An advantage in Verstappen's advantage: his teammate Tsunoda is in front of him by one place. It's improbable to interfere with the team's main man.
Media Conversations
Sky's internal discussion now: Gary Neville is at the Mercedes team.
The analyst is jumping ahead to the 2026 season, interviewing the engineer about his stepping up to the team lead role.
Starting Positions
Just 16 cars on the grid. This followed another bad qualifying for Lewis Hamilton: following his result of twentieth and final in Las Vegas, leading to an eighth position in the main race, he failed to make it out of Q1 once more on the previous day. The team have as a result made changes to his setup and so he will start from the pit lane.
Aston Martin's Lance Stroll and the Alpine pair of Gasly and Colapinto are all doing likewise.
Driver Comments
"We take the experience for the next day," states Isack Hadjar, 11th on the grid. There will be a lot of that.
Constructors' Championship
It's not all about the individual championship: The team have run away with the constructors' gong but Mercedes, with a forty-point advantage over their rivals, will be hoping to secure the runner-up position during this event. Russell can help them achieve that from second place, and Antonelli will begin immediately after the leader.
Past Performance
Oscar Piastri was victorious then – as he managed the previous season, as well. The driver from McLaren is attempting a hat-trick.
Short Race Importance
Right, approximately 20 minutes to go till the sprint race begins. Barring disaster, its main importance is as a preview of future events, rather than significant in its itself, with just eight championship points available to the winner. However, second place here was sufficient for Verstappen to become champion two years ago.
The driver claimed the championship following his teammate's accident of Qatar GP sprint race.
